Stoke look at filling in those corners

Stoke City have confirmed that they are looking at plans to fill in those dreaded corners at the Brit – but you’ll have to be patient…

It’s unlikely that we’ll be seeing any extra capacity (an increase from 27,500 to 30,000 is being talked about) for at least a couple more years. This will depend on the Potters retaining their Premier League status and crowds continuing to ensure regular full houses at the Brit to justify the significant investment that would be required.

So for the foreseeable future you’ll still have to wrap up to brave the swirling wind around the Brit for several more freezing January afternoons.

5 Replies to “Stoke look at filling in those corners”

Interesting that you say we’ll probably have to wait for a couple of years. I read the recent comments as suggesting that a corner (or two) might be built in the summer of 2010 which is only one year away!

Hi Fornside. Pessimism is my middle name. I based two years on the basis that the club would wait until some time in the coming season to see how the finances stack up, get plans drawn up and then apply for planning permission. I can’t see the time from the planning process starting to people actually sitting in the seats being done any quicker than 12 months. So I therefore get to the start of the 2011/12 season – at the earliest. I have no insider knowledge – so if you know any different?
Also just basing it on the length of time it’s taken from when the new training ground complex was first discussed last year and building is still yet to actually start and St. Modwen’s (aborted?) plans to build an pedestrian underpass behind the Boothen End which was supposed to be built during this summer but this has gone very quiet.

I saw the plans for the video screen corner several years back. The footings for that corner were put in when the stadium was built so the design can’t change much. They have already had engineers in to check the footings are sound – although I have not heard what the report said. Planning permission should be straightforward as the corner was included in the outline permission for the stadium. That’s the good news. The less good news is that the underpass is now scheduled for 2010 – but the two builds won’t clash they are well apart.

I forgot to say that as detailed planning permission is valid for 5 years the club would lose nothing by applying for it later this year – they’d have 5 years to build it once the permission was granted.